Tamo'ei Garif
Tamo’ei Garif '(ランナーガリフ;''Ran'nāgarifu) was the member of the ancient tribe of Jahara, who used to live in the Mask Isle near the continent of Alikitasia. A superbly skilled yet disgraced swordsman, he travels across the world to find the mage or the monster who was responsible for the massacre of his own people. For his prowess with the mythical Blade of Ah Kin and the strenuous attitude which he carries every battle with, Tamo'ei is known among the people of Alikitasia as the '''Sword Juggernaut(剣ジャガーノート;Ken jagānōto). Appearance Tamo'ei is tall and muscular man, whose physique is chiselled by years of rigorous training. His skin appears to be a tint of ocher; it is unknown if this is a phenotype typical of the Jahara tribe or a result of careful ritual painting over their body, since Jahara are very secretive about the costumes. Tamo'ei wears a thick collar of brown fur, which seems to be hold on by a leather belt donned over his left shoulder and a smaller one on his other shoulder (though he seem to change shoulder time to time). He wears a larger belt on his waist of grey color, with a large, metallic, pentagonal clasp, which holds two cloth on every size. Tamo'ei lower body is dressed in a way somehow reminiscent of samurai, if much less protected: he wears large, black pants, Haidate like cuisses, painted in red lacquer, going below his knee and leather shoes. He has thick and dark armbands and faulds, where are painted tribal motive in a tint of bright red. However, the features that seems to characterize him the most are the sacred blade he uses to deliver his god's justice and a mask that always covers up the entirety of head, leaving visible on his neck and two bright, pupil-less eyes. The scabbard of the Blade of Ah Kin is not visible from the front, as it is connected with the smaller shoulder-belt and hidden by thick fur. As for the masks, they are usually, if not always, of light colors such as white, with red stripes all over the face, usually near the eyes. Personality Efficient, devoted and disciplined, Tamo'ei is the epitome of the Jahara warrior. He always harbored an incredible sense of p History Born in the archipelago with just a few leagues Alikitasia known as the Mask Isle as Jahara, Tamo'ei lived his early life following the teaching of tribe. He showed is talent has a warrior very soon by hunting a Vulcan when he was only eight. He received his sword not much after, and then acquired the control of his totemic mask. For all of life he dedicated himself to way of the warrior with passion and dedication, mastering all than he could learn about the tradition of his people, from the legendary sword fighting technique that made the Jahara famous all over the continent to their religion and shamanic arts. Tamo'ei protected his people for years from pirates, criminals and foreign armies. He strenuous, tenacious and unwilling to let just one evildoer set his own foot the land he called home. No menace, fortunately, was nearly dire enough that the martial prowess of Tamo'ei and the other warrior of his tribe could not have overcome; so he did live his existence in a relatively peaceful way, had a wife whom he loved which gave him two children. Like any happy man, Tamo'ei thought that his quite life could have gone on forever; like every time, he was wrong. The first step to the tragedy became when an ambassador from the Alvarez Empire was found dead during a diplomatic mission in the chief Island. The continental power and the island were always on apparently good terms, with Alvarez adopting a policy of decentralization and respect toward the Mask Isle and their culture, while the Jahara always recognized the authority of the empire, paying their tributes, reporting smugglers and fighting every military expedition from foreign countries. However, the Jahara were proud people, who did not see well the lack piety from the continentals and their ambition, while many in Alvarez, including a few members of Spriggan very praetorian guards, believed the central government to be excessively lenient with the bizarre costumes of the Jahara and their considerable local autonomy. Every nationalistic feelings from both parties erupted, especially because the messenger, before he died, allegedly disrespected the sun god Ah Kin by insulting his name and unfavorably compared him to Emperor Spriggan. The Jahara assured the empire that it was an accident, though rumors were spread across the archipelago about the impiety of the dead and Ah Kin divine retribution, while in Alvarez they were sure their ambassador was murdered and demanded justice for their dead. Tamo'ei did learn about the incident, yet he never knew where the truth lied; he even thought he needed to investigate, but ultimately abstained from doing so since he still believed in the good faith of his chiefs and trusted what his tribe said. That was a choice he dearly paid for, and still regrets about it almost every day of his life. This conflict had a turning point when Alvarez sent, without any message, a deep contingent of his forces, including one the Spriggan Twelve, to demand an answer. The powerful mages of the continent reached the island of Belite, home of the grand chief of Supineru. Tamo'ei still resided in one of the smallest island, far from the center of the archipelago, where was were warm even it rained, the climate yet he felt an ominous and terrifying force that almost chilled the tropical climate. He did not knew about the negotiation until the next days, when the agents of Alvarez formally demanded all Jahara to paid the triple amount of sapphires, rubies, spices and even demanded some of their ritual masks for the scholar of the empire to study. Outraged, it was for the skin the teeth that all the Mask Isle did not immediately rioted against this act of arrogance; however, another message come soon from chief Supineru, containing a summoning order to all the Jahara in the archipelago. They all would have met in the ruins of Altun, where the most important ceremonies and most sacred offering to the god Ah Kin where held by at the midnight of the next third days, to discuss the future of their nation. Tamo'ei reached Altun alongside his family and comrades in arms at the time where the ceremony was held. Those ruins were a conglomerate of tall palaces of conic shapes, obelisks almost lean and sharp as knives. They were ancient, so ancient that no Jahara story records more than myths on when and by whom were built, and still brimming with a soothing light that did illuminated the city all the nights until dawn. One thing they knew, and that at the very pinnacle of the ruins was conserved the Blade of Ah Kin, their holiest relic, the one the sun god has imbued the most with his gifts. The city was a warm, almost hot place, hotter than almost any place in the Mask Isle, but Tamo'ei felt colder than ever, with a lurking sensation of dangers to come. Supineru talked from the highest tower, just under the Sun Blade, where incenses were burned and blood was shed during the holy rites. His speech was passionate, lamenting the saddle the continentals where putting on their shoulders, the arrogance and the blasphemy of the Alvarez. He declared that the Jahara needed to fight to protect their culture and must reclaim absolute sovereignty over their land, by force if necessary. All the night Supineru praised the traditions of his people, their piety, simplicity and disciplined life, while he vilified to no end the continentals and their lust for power, calling them barbaric heathens whose greed was unquenchable. He remembered the death of their messengers as a just condemnation by Ah Kin, accusing them to use a scapegoat to increase their power over the Isle with no respect of law and loyalty. The crowd of Jahara was roaring with indignation, with the friends and the wife of Tamo'ei more than most. The warrior did only clapped his hands once, at the climax of the speech: even if he did care about the pride and liberty of the Mask Isle, he did not like the spite and the fury from Supineru's words, more akin to a fanatic than pious leader seeking for justice. Supineru went further in his plan, and explained his ideas to the all the tribe: during the winter solstice, the night the most important celebration of the sun god was held, all the people would have prayed to Ah Kin for battle, asking him to grant power to the Sun Blade. Meanwhile, the Jahara would have complied with every order from Alvarez, paid all their requests and maintaining the facade of diligent subject. Since their cause was moved by justice and piety, the mighty god would have certainly deliver them the strength to vanquish their oppressors. With that hope in their heart, all the tribe were dismissed. Only a few of the most powerful chiefs, shamans and warriors were ordered to stay, as Supineru had still something to say to them in private. All the important hosts entered in the holiest tower; Supineru was waiting for them, with the Cuantil, the order of knights who vowed to protect Altum and the Sun Blade at every cost, standing behind him in circle The following words utter by his very chief were the most horrendously sacrilegious that Tamo'ei could have ever heard: he learned that Supineru planned to use the strongest totemic masks to initiate a ritual which would have, in his own words, "hijacked" the Sun Blade and allowed the Jahara to summon its power permanently. Tamo'ei opposed vehemently to this plan, thinking that it was a perversion of everything their religion meant to the Jahara, and warned them of the consequences of this act: in the best scenario, the ritual could not have worked properly and the Isle would have been engulfed by the sword power; in the worst, Ah Kin himself, in his own rage, would have struck the infidel people down. Very few paid attention to his counsel, soon quelled by the many: it was especially among the elders and most respected that the humiliation of their servitude was burning hotter, and many were doubting Ah Kin would have actually helped them after that long. Among all the people, the Cuantil themselves sided wholeheartedly with Supineru: they convinced the present that their god would have certainly approve the rising of his chosen people: after all, what mattered to the gods most was faith, and faith can only exists and expand if the faithful are strong. Supineru in the end gained the approval of all the chiefs would have started the ritual during the Winter Solstice ceremony, giving his people the miracle they have been waiting for. Tamo'ei returned to his home saddened and worried, without telling anyone about the grand chief's plan, as he thought no one would have believed him since he didn't have any proof. He spent a whole night praying Ah Kin. His faith in his leaders was destroyed, and he found a new purpose: never let this folly happen. After overhearing a conversation between some continentals, Tamo'ei learned that, within two days, an imperial merchant freighter was coming to Belite in order to reclaim spices for the tourists resorts of Caracole Island. Seeing a perfect opportunity for an emergency escape, he paid the merchant with rubies belonging to his family to smuggle himself and his family to the ship. The night of the departure he did not sleep: he wrote a letter to his wife where is explained the blasphemy of Supineru and the Cuantil, and prayed her to bring his kids to the merchant freighter the next morning as soon as she could, then kissed his family in their sleep. He left his home, took a boat and traveled to the ruins of Altum. There, Tamo'ei would have done what he has always considered unthinkable: he would have stolen the Blade of Ah Kin from its pedestals and left the Island with his family, far from the clutches of Supineru and his allies. After three hours of sailing, he reached the island; then it took other two for Tamo'ei to reach Altum. When he entered in the ancient city, sunset was approaching. Tamo'ei moved swift and silent as a cat, so than even the vigil Cuantil did not notice him. Tamo'ei reached the holy tower and started to climb it without any harpoon, as he feared the sound of his instruments could have warned the guards. The tower walls were slippery, and his strength could alone could only bring to tenth floor: once he felt falling, he crept through the nearest window. He looked around, and he saw the grand chief Supineru waiting for him alongside four Cuantil. The chief smirked at him: Tamo'ei understood that he was expecting his move all along, and were waiting him to brutally execute him, like a traitor. The loyalist ganged up and attacked Tamo'ei; while he was possibly more skilled than any of them individually, against all of them chances were much more in their favor. So he activated his totemic mask, and fought like a demon while reaching the top of tower. The first assaults where, ironically, comparatively more difficult to dealt with, since the fused every opportunity to corner him and attacking in tandem; however, Tamo'ei still defended egregiously well, receiving only minor wounds in return while slaying two Cuantil. Without the overwhelming disadvantage, he took on Supineru and the remaining three with ferocity mixed with immense precision: another one fell easily against his blade. He moved and fought his way at the very top of the tower, where the brightness of the sword pierced their eyes like fire arrows. Tamo'ei was able to took advantage of this lack of visibility, and, with a single swoop took down the last of the lackeys. Now only two Jahara warrior lasted, fighting for the right of the holy blade. Tamo'ei tried for the last time to reason with his chief, reminding of his Garif honor and the love for the gods of their ancestors, but Supineru was too lost in his desire too listen.The two flipped and crossed blades many time. Tamo'ei was the more skilled of two, yet in this fight they were founded to be evenly matched, with the chief having actually a slight edge. Tamo'ei felt his movement getting sloppier and sloppier by the time, while the opponent was gaining advanced with a serrated onslaught of attacks. He didn't take much for him to realize that those blades were poisoned, possibly lethally. In such a duel of endurance he could not have won by attrition; he had to take other tactics, more underhanded ones, to get the best of his opponent. So Tamo'ei adopted a defensive stance, focusing his remaining strength to parry Supineru's attacks as he slowly brought both of them near the edge of the tower. As he was mere inches behind the void, he threw is sword against Supineru; whilst the chief was busy parrying the blade, Tamo'ei grabbed his wrist and threw both of them from the tower. They both fell down in the void, but Tamo'ei had actually brought an harpoon for those circumstances, and saved himself from the fall. Silently praying to the son god, he started his climbing to the top. He felt his whole body dizzy, the poison was taking its tool, but his will was unbreakable and so his faith in Ah Kin. With the last vestige of strength, Tamo'ei reached the top again, now the Sun Blade fully within his grasp. Dawn was rising, the blade reabsorbed its light into itself, leaving only a faint glimmer. Tamo'ei prayed again; for possibly the first time on his life, he felt lost, as his own mind still though as unthinkable of him to be pious enough to receive Ah Kin's highest gift. He heard from below Supineru screaming like a madman and uttering curses: maybe he was truly possessed by an evil spirit, but most certainly was still alive. Tamo'ei knew the time of doubt had ended long before, and touched the blade of Ah Kin. A vast light clouded his vision: he felt pleasantly warm, restored. In the time of flash he was no more at the top on the ancient ruin, but in the beach near the freighter, the sun blade him in the palm of his right hand. Toma'ei was confused for a few seconds, but the warning of a sailor reported him to his senses and told him the ship was leaving. Toma'ei wanted to escape from the island, and asked to the company if his family had board; they all responded that he was the only Garif there. He implored more time and tried to search for his wife and children; he did not took long for him, as he found his wife standing at the top of a near hill, hidden in mangrove leaves. He prayed her to escape from the folly of their people, to give their children a better place to live, far the fury of gods and men. She did not answer: Tamo'ei realized that she came only to tell him goodbye. The pain that he felt was almost numbing; but the Sun Blade had go away from the island at any cost. Tamo'ei sailed alone. The rest of the voyage was quiet and uneventful. Toma'ei reached the Caracole island in a matter of a few days, then he settled there as fisherman. Every sunset he sat on a lonely beach and stared at the sea, where was his former. His heart was filled of nostalgia, mitigated only by the soothing energy from the Blade of Ah Kin, who remanded that he had fulfilled his duty. On day, however, he saw on south-west a light much brighter than the one of the sun: at was flare than almost blinded him. The blade felt also hotter than ever, in a way than nearly burned his skin. After this brief moment, Tamo'ei looked again at the sea: the cold that he felt was chilliest of life. The sword and his gut told him: his land was dead, destroyed in the flare. Tamo'ei remained still for hours, without praying, until it was deep night. Then his spent most his days in the local taverns, spending his meager income as a bodyguard in wine and beverage to forget his pain. He had family, no country, no purposes. (to be continued) Synopsis Equipment Blade of Ah Kin '(ああ金武の刃; ''Ā Kin no ha) Magic and Abilities Natural Abilities Ways of Combat Grandmaster Swordsmanship Specialist: the Jahara were renowned in the country of Alikitasia for being superbly skilled swordsmen, with a unique style that mixes kenjutsu, Joseon era Korean style, Filipino Escrima with the acrobatic flares of Sylat and Kalaripayattu. Their style is based on overwhelming their opponents with speed and agility, using short blades or hwando and jiigum with fluidity and precision. Living in a jungle, the knew how high places by acrobatically jumping from tree to another while striking their foes below. Among them Tamo'ei was one of the most skilled, if not the most skilled, being able to best multiple of his peers without much effort, and dealing with several Cuantil, holy guards of tribe chosen among master-class swordsmen, even when they are attacking him on tandem. Once he left his home-country, his knowledge of the art only went deeper, as he carefully studied techniques from every place he traveled, picking moves from styles that a normal person could count. Tamo'ei's movements are of swiftness that almost borders on supernatural, seamlessly parring they attacks of his opponents from all angles redirecting the flow of battle in his favor. He fights with incredible grace, aided by a lower body as mobile as one of a ballerina; many of the people actually described as a dancer, and, indeed, his movements are so elegant and well choreographed than many people are in awe of fighting. That does not mean that Tamo'ei prefers style over substance, however: he rarely goes straight for the killing only because he is a man who does not enjoy taking lives without any reason, preferring swordsman as an art to perfect himself rather than a tool to kill. Every time his Blade of Ah Kin or the situation dictates him to kill, he became brutally efficient, slashing with longer sword with one hand while employing dirty grappling moves and knives attacks in the other. Much like many of the best swordsmen, he trained himself to be ambidextrous, to switch the dominant hand in a blink of a eye, though it seems that he prefers the right hand. During his wandering years, the Jahara warrior has carved a name in the tales of Alikitasia and Ishgar as ferocious swordsman who can cut down entire guilds before they could blink an eye, a Juggernaut which completely mastered the art of blades. ' * '''Sword Pressure' (剣圧, Ken'atsu): a basic technique of swordsmanship, it just a current of wind created by an unusually powerful or fast slash, which can cut things at distance. The strength of the wind edge depends on the power and skills of the user: might swordsmen can create a pressure that can cut through a forest or column of foes. This technique can also be enchanted by infusing the blade with eternano or more complex spells (generally elemental ones), adding magic over might. Tamo'ei is certainly both skilled and strong enough to create currents sharp as razors, even without any kind of magical aid; he is however, very reluctant to use this technique, as his honor code prescribe him to avoid unnecessary damages to the environment or every people outside the target. In the moment he is forced to do so, however, he can cut down enemies en masse without any mercy or need to touch them. Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: '''While much more renowned as a master of blades, Tamo'ei is far from defenseless while using his bare hands. He is a well versed combatant which can skillfully employs punches, grappling movements and takedowns, and can knock out normal people with a precise strike at the back of their head. He mostly uses kicks, to complement with his swordsmanship, usually to soften his enemies a bit before besting them with his sword. An hand-to-hand area where Tamo'ei absolutely excels, however, is how he deals against other armed fighter: he is a master on how to disarms people by taking advantage of leverage, and knows how to minimize damages from cutting attacks before he can find a blade to defend himself more properly. Physical Abilities '''Immense Speed and Agility: '''Without any doubt the reason why Tamo'ei is such a lethal swordsman, his speed and dexterity are nothing short of amazing. He can attacks and retreat his blade in minute fractions of seconds, swinging and moving so fast than many people, including trained fighters, can barely follow his speed. Coupled with his spot-on mastery of the art of blade, Tamo'ei has proven than he could decapitate more than people at once in a flash; indeed, many guilds that were foolish enough to pick a fight against him have been decimated in a instant. Years of fighting in the jungle have endowed Tamo'ei of a sense of balance that almost rivals the one of a monkey: he is, in fact, particularly adept at taking advantage of higher grounds, climbing harsh surfaces and striking his enemies from above. His reflexes are, if possible, even more astonishing, as he can react in a flash while numbed by a soporific drug, drawing his sword and still decimating his assailants before they can respond. '''Enhanced Strength: '''While he does not often uses his raw strength, many of Tamo'ei feats actually require a great deal of force. He can cut steel with swords without using any kind of Sword of Magic or taking advantage of the supernatural powers of the Sun Blade, or break a normal person arm with a well placed kick. Also, he could not have pulled off all his acrobatic without considerable lower and upper-body strength; even his toes are incredibly strong, as they allow to balance his whole body for a considerable time while standing at the side of a rough vertical surface, digging through "soft" materials like woods. His strength was also shown in his days as fisherman of Caracole, when he gained some of a reputation by wrestling sharks with his bare hands. '''Immense Durability: '''Tamo'ei boast an exceptional amount of durability. He is resistant to energy blast and can take punches from S-Classes level mages without much discomfort. Even though sword attacks can damage him, his muscle have a level of thickness that mitigates attacks from swords, with only material made of iron wielded by great swordsmen offers truly a problem. As a result, he once withstood a fall from a slide over one hundred meters tall and got back on his feet without much discomfort. He has also show great tolerance to cold temperature, as he often trained near the active volcanoes of Mask isle. To compensate for the fact that is so accustomed by hot climate, he also started to trained in cold countries with his light gear to deal with this extreme of temperature. '''Immense Endurance: '''With his speed, this is possibly Tamo'ei greatest quality. His warrior code has prescribed him a rigid conduct of life, with him training, praying and hunting all day with little time of rest, time that he spent with his family and in meditation. Such a lifestyle instilled in him a sense of patience and mental and physical endurance that only truly warrior can hope to achieve. Many, many times Tamo'ei has fought his battles with profound wounds and broken bonds; he endured lethal poison, third grade burns and multiple hemorrhages at once. Yet he never gave up, never succumbed to pain or going numb until every foe was defeated. His ability to keep forward no matter what has saved his life countless occasion, especially since Tamo'ei was never stiff or hasty: he always knew how to change his approaches, and was mentally fortuitous enough to execute any new strategy without fear or hesitation. More than anything, it is probably for this reason they called him a "Sword Juggernaut": once he set his mind to a purpose, he would never stop, only adapt his strategies. '''Keen Intellect: Tamo'ei philosophy means that a warrior mind must be as sharp as his weapons. Tamo'ei is a quick thinker, a strategist who can keep his cool under the most stressful situation and come up on the fly with new ways to battle and survive. His ability to analyze is particularly excellent when it comes to his home field: when he comes to swordsmanship, he can analyze the fighting stance of every fighter and assess it's strengths weakness almost immediately, and adapting himself to the fight. Despite never having a formal education, Tamo'ei has proven to be a fast learned with encyclopedic knowledge of wild fauna, flora, natural medicine and at least basic understanding about the cultures of the many places he visited. Magical Abilities 'Mask of Anima: '(アニマのマスク; Anima no masuku) an Holder Magic employed exclusively by the Jahara tribe. Since the Jahara are considered extincted, this can be regarded as a Lost Magic to all intents and purposes, with Tamo'ei as the only living practitioner. Mask of Anima is a name given to the particularly totemic masks used by Jahara people, which every warrior or shaman of the Isle must wear once they have completed a certain initiation rite to find the deepest manifestation of one self. While these concepts are anything but new- such “coming of age” ritual are integral part of the culture of almost every tribal civilization, and the animistic concept of totem is hardly less common- Masks of Anima are powerfully magical artifact which acts as catalyst between oneself consciousness and their own physical body, granting them powers which corresponds to their ideals and personalities. The amount of magic usable, however, is as always strictly dependent on the user emotional and physical state, with Mask of Anima giving only a “psychical” boost via the strong connection between the magic and his user. The most relevant surplus of this kind of Mask of Anima lies actually in how the derived magic are performed: since it comes from the user very soul, the holder will know how to performs spells related to the magic almost instinctively, as easy as the breath. Provided their limits in power, the user’s applications are bounded only by their imagination. Before conquering a mask, all Jahara must find his own “role” or “purpose” in society and the world alongside him in an initiatory journey of self-discovery in the sacred near Altum. Sometimes this journey requires months of deep meditation or deep prayer, other times can happen through prophetic visions and dreams; to others, even an encounter with a revered spirit or the manifestation of a deity. Regardless of the path, any Jahara must understand his own vocation and what his is purpose in the life of a tribe. After being enlightened, the young adult must carve his own masks within the trial, then performing a ritual that involves a conspicuous blood sacrifice. One the sacrifice is completed, the Jahara returns to his tribe with a mask that looks different from the one of everyone else. That Mask would be the expression of the user soul- hence why the scholars of Alikitasia have called those masks of “Anima”, a word that means soul- so Jahara considers it as the new true face of any tribesman, the one the dictates whose life adults will live in society from this point onward. No Jahara will ever show his face to any living or dead being, except in two occasions: when he makes love with his spouse, has Jahara believes he becomes an entirely new being with his loved one; or whenever a priest tries to ritualistically channel the spirit of a god, as for Jaharas anyone must “empty” oneself to accept the true essence of a deity. One mask can also be removed by the elders if one Jahara is found guilty of horrendous crimes like treason of or blasphemy: in that case, he is disgraced and considered no longer part his people, and his faith of always death or exile from the Isle. Aside from their anthropological values, its actually surprising how much actually those kind of magic are apt to be “classified”, thus as regarded by many mages as underwhelming or even “boring”, since people who performs the same profession will always have similar masks- but never exactly the same one- and they will be endowed with similar kind of magic, often differing by some details and, of course, potency between user and user. This should not come as a surprise: Jahara have such a strong sense of community and connection to the nature that every tribesman regards himself mostly by his roles within society and the world outside, rather than giving emphasis to self-expression. That is not said that Jahara despise uniqueness, as they are all very perceptive of the subtle details that differences mask from mask; they just do not feel the need to stand out from the crowd. Even before he reached adulthood, Tamo'ei always felt that his deepest vocation was the one of the warrior, the protector of his people, maybe matched only by his piety and devotion to the gods. Once he completed his rite of passage, he fully understood he had to protect his love ones and honor his deities. Trivia * Tamo'ei is a Samoan word: it means "runner", while Garif derives from the race of Final Fantasy XII whose members always don heavy masks. The characters himself, however, is more inspired by ancient Carribean cultures rather than the Samoan ones. * The character is inspired by Yurnero the Juggernaut, from DOTA 2. Category:Male Category:Swordsman Category:Mage